King County Low-Power FM (LPFM) Radio License Applicants Eligible to Compete for $9 Million in Public Funds Available For Arts, Neighborhood, Cultural, Heritage and Technology Projects

Brown Paper Tickets Announces Commitment to Fill Every Available LPFM Frequency in Seattle With a Qualified Applicant as a Model for Attaining the Same Goal Nationally

Feb. 12, 2013 (Seattle) King County community groups applying for a Seattle low-power FM (LPFM) radio license are eligible to compete for public grants and matching funds ranging from $1,500 to $100,000 each from four public agencies, according to the city and county agencies presenting at a free community LPFM information session produced by Brown Paper Tickets. An LPFM Toolkit, including links and information on public funding, access to free counsel on LPFM application, a fundraising tool, and a link to a recording of the first LPFM information session is available at http://community.brownpapertickets.com/Doers/radio.html. The Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing company has also employed a full-time "Doer" with a background in public interest media and in LPFM to lead an initiative to fill every available LPFM frequency in Seattle with a qualified applicant, as a model for success in attaining the same goal, nationally. Public funds totaling $9 million are available for arts, cultural, youth, neighborhood, heritage and technology projects through four public agencies in King County, including 4Culture, the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Seattle Department of Information Technology (DOIT). LPFM applicants can compete for the funding in several of these categories, depending on how the proposed radio station will benefit and work with the community. In some instances, it is possible to be awarded more than one grant. Competition is high, and there is no guarantee of funding. Deadlines for application are near, and guidelines and eligibility requirements vary; check organizational websites for more information. Those interested are encouraged to start applications promptly.

"LPFM stations have the potential to become neighborhood institutions that spotlight community issues and services, ignite the local music scene, allow people to communicate in their native languages, and give youth an outlet to be heard," said David Keyes, Community Technology Program Manager for DOIT. "We are hoping groups take this opportunity for public funding to create projects which involve and give voice to communities of color, immigrants and others traditionally underrepresented in the media."

"Brown Paper Tickets commits 5 percent of all profits to building healthy communities, and we believe that LPFM is an important and powerful tool in that mission," said Sabrina Roach, Brown Paper Tickets' Doer specializing in public interest media, community engagement and social giving. "I can assist any local group with direction for planning next steps and finding resources for their LPFM application," said Roach.

Roach, who has worked in public interest media in King County for 11 years, produced the first in a series of LPFM information sessions last month, with the goal of illuminating a path for local nonprofits to evaluate the LPFM opportunity, and to create awareness for the resources available for helping them apply for, build and operate a radio station. "We hope to fill every available frequency here in Seattle with a qualified applicant, and to create a model for successful application that can be shared and duplicated across the country."

Roach produced the first in a series of LPFM information sessions last month, with the goal of illuminating a path for local nonprofits to evaluate the LPFM opportunity, and to create awareness for the resources available for helping them to apply for, build and operate a radio station. The LPFM Toolkit was a product of the information, resources and best practices she discovered in producing the first information session. "Public funding programs like the ones listed on our LPFM Toolkit are available in many cities across the US," Roach said. "Anyone interested in applying for a license can find inspiration, ideas and support for successfully applying and finding the resources that serve their community."

Brown Paper Tickets was also influenced to take up the LPFM initiative due to its 12-year relationship with King County nonprofits and their donors; an average of 70% of events in Seattle on Brown Paper Tickets benefit a nonprofit organization. "We feel a responsibility to do what is within our power to make sure that local nonprofits and community groups know that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is open to them," Roach said. The company's Not-Just-For-Profit business model translates the philosophy of "paying it forward" into a sustainable mission. "There isabsolutelyno necessity that anyone I work with currently is a Brown Paper Tickets customer, or even a potential or a possible customer. The Not-Just-For-Profit goal is larger than business Brown Paper Tickets wants to leave the world a better place for having been in business."

"Eight different radio frequencies may be available for LPFM radio stations around Seattle," said Todd Urick, technical director for Common Frequency, 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to innovative new community and college radio. Urick provided hundreds of pages of channel analysis to the FCC for a study regarding LPFM availability on the FM band nationwide.

LPFM stations are non-commercial and operate at 100 watts, reaching a radius of 3.5 miles consistently, and often reaching listeners up to 10 miles away. This will be the first time that LPFM licenses will be awarded in major urban markets, such as Seattle. The Federal Communications Commission will begin accepting applications for these LPFM stations Oct. 15. There is no guarantee of another application window opening for major urban markets after this opportunity.

"The opening of the LPFM frequencies in our nation's largest cities is our democracy in action," Roach said. "We have been granted an amazing opportunity to use the public airwaves to build our communities; now it is up to communities and nonprofits to seize that opportunity."

The next event for those interested in applying for a LPFM license will be the official Seattle celebration of the United Nations World Radio Day that is free and open to the public this Wed., Feb. 13 at noon, with event registration at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/336004. The celebration will feature three King County nonprofits who will publicly pledge to apply for Seattle's new LPFM licenses when the FCC opens the application window in October, and share information about the type of broadcast programming they hope to create for the communities they will serve on the air.

About Brown Paper Tickets: Brown Paper Tickets (http://www.BrownPaperTickets.com), the Not-Just-For-Profit ticketing company, revolutionized the industry by putting free, professional tools for ticketing any-sized gathering on the Internet, and continues to champion the rights of ticket-buyers with the lowest fee for the most service in the industry. The company donates 5 percent of the profit from each ticket sale to build communities and nonprofits, pays its employees to work 40 hours each year for the cause of their choosing, and employs a team of "Doers," experts in industries such as music, new media, makers, roller derby and more, to fix, improve and revolutionize the communities where we live, work and play.